About Us

Lakeland Rides are brought to you by the team behind the Lakeland Trails running events. We plan to bring you some of the most exciting cyclosportive events in the north of England. Designed for all ages and abilities, our sportives will provide memorable cycling experiences all wrapped up in a family friendly festival environment.

A festival atmosphere is guaranteed for both riders and spectators at our event venues, which will feature entertainment, event commentary, delicious local food and drink, bike demo's, retail and trade stands. So, whether you're new to cycling, an experienced rider, or simply looking for an unforgettable day out in the saddle, amazing cycling awaits you at a Lakeland Rides event.

Despite the large numbers of people taking part, we're still only a small team, but we are committed to ensuring our events are as safe, accessible, enjoyable and memorable as possible. We pride ourselves on staging festival style outdoor events that are not only great fun, but are designed to ensure cyclists of all abilities are catered for. We also have a passion for the environment and we work hard to ensure the environmental impact of our events are minimised.

Whilst road cycling is naturally sustainable, we use natural, locally sourced materials wherever we can. We actively recycle and all of our signs are re-used at all the events. We also try to be as paper free as possible, with online entry and information through our website, Facebook and e-newsletters.

No stranger to cycling, Graham has been cycling all his life, and highlights include a 6 month solo cycle tour of New Zealand, a 2 month cycle tour of the North Island of New Zealand with partner Claire Boothroyd, a 5 week cycle tour of Central Europe and the Alps (with running buddy Jon Deegan), and numerous other cycle tours in France, Switzerland, Spain, Majorca, Gran Canaria, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Ireland. Most recently cycle tours have included young son Ash, who made his cycle touring debut on the Isle of Mull aged just 18 months in a trailer.

Graham is a former international athlete and founder and current Event Director of the Lakeland Trails. He realised his dream of bringing a successful European model of alpine trail running to the Lake District. The first Lakeland Trails event was held in September 2004 and had just 80 competitors. The events have grown considerably since then, in both the number of venues and competitors, attracting over 10,000 trail runners in 2012.